Visual imagery commonly can be classified as either a static image (photograph, painting, etc.) or dynamic imagery (video, animation, etc.). A static image captures a single instant in time. A video provides a temporal narrative through time.
Another category of visual media that mixes a static image with moving elements has recently become more prevalent. A classic example is an animated Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), originally created to encode short vector-graphics animations within a still image format. Another example of visual media that juxtaposes still and moving images, which has more recently become popular, is referred to as a cinemagraph. Cinemagraphs commonly combine static scenes with a small repeating movement (e.g., a blinking eye or hair motion). In a cinemagraph, the dynamic element normally loops in a sequence of frames.